Significance of Honoring GP Koirala with the First Elect President of Republic Nepal
Prakash Bom
June 02, 2008
Based on the principle of political consensus as per the mandate of people that was incorporated during April Uprising no single party is the winner and none the other are loser. But all parties have established people´s representations out of constituent Assembly elections. All representatives have therefore responsibility to draft a secular federal democratic republic constitution, which guarantees Nepali people´s civil liberty and protects civil rights from violations.
It was GP Koirala who has successfully led the political consensus particularly among the seven-party-alliance (SPA) and he has kept the consensus intact to this time of the federal democratic republic declaration despite his difficulties in political purgation for understanding the federal democratic republic setup as timely appropriate political system for Nepal. The purgation knocked down almost all the political leaderships of every political party and there are still many who are undergoing federal-republic purgation. Basically, people´s aspiration has led the political parties to this historic achievement.
However, if Maoist leaderships think that their party is the winner in the CA elections and rest of the other political parties are losers then they are mistaken if not intentionally overruling the national consensus for a coalition government that is proportional to the representations to the Constituent Assembly. Unless rhetorically arbitrary the speech of Maoist chairman was just for a political triumph to call political parties losers which have won less seats than Maoist the fact is otherwise. Because the speech did not reflect political pragmatism, that can address the contemporary political developments. Possibly Maoists of Nepal can by no means force communist republic and if they do that will be unfortunate for the nation that have been declared lately federal democratic republic.
In addition, Maoist party has not even secured just simple majority in Constituent Assembly. It has however become the largest political party to lead the CA government. But the Interim Constitution has the provision of two-third majority in order to form a new government under a new Prime Minister. Yet Maoists do not want to amend the constitution for the simple majority provision. It is astonishing to people that as previous political party in power such as NC, which used to lay double standards, Maoist party too as a largest party in CA repeating the same mistakes without a changed political strategy to respect people´s mandate and its developmental political culture and protocols.
Again the fundamental objective of Constituent Assembly is to draft nation´s new constitution that represents the principle and norms of the secular federal democratic republic and its term limit is two years with additional six months´ extension. What would Maoists gain in two years as a largest party without even simple majority against the constitutional provision of the two-third majority to bring any change in the governance? But, Maoists´ intention to grab the position of the head of the state – constitutional president who would act upon the decision of the government cabinet is very suspicious? It is because the president can impose emergency and mobilize army as a patron of the constitution and the commander in chief of the army with the recommendation of the government cabinet prior to the Constituent Assembly hearing for the two-third votes. In addition to the provision for removing president from the office with two-third votes through impeachment is politically not that easy to achieve. It is a provision to consider for the simple majority if the democratic leaderships are serious in considering making the contemporary politics pragmatic to a logical conclusion.
The status quo of the political leaderships for the power of the government cabinet is intrinsically antagonistic to the principle and norms of democracy. The democratic government cabinet that has constitutional provisions to act on its own prior to hearings or consultations of the people´s representatives in the Assembly or the Parliament for vote to make any decision for the people and the nation makes people´s representatives literally insignificant. This is what happens to the mindset of political leaderships and ruling elites with their vested interest for the power unless people´s representatives are sensible to people with their responsibility. Basically, the government cabinet and its´ president and prime minister must be under the scrutiny of the people´s representatives. Then only we can have democracy that can count on people´s voice.
Maoist leaderships are either caught up with their conjecture for making the Maoist chairman the first president of Nepal or they are conspiring for making a Nepal communist republic. If the long forecasted sentiment is the ambition then it is less dangerous than the current amendment of the constitution that has established the position of constitutional president. The choice is in either way antagonistic to the current development of the democratic protocols. Democratic political leaderships and the representatives of Constituent Assembly must not back up from scrutinizing the proposal.
In my opinion under the current amendment of the constitutional for the position of constitutional president GP Koirala is the right candidate for the president to be the head of the state with such provisions. First of all, he has all his life dedicated to the people of Nepal for democracy. Without his politics and leadership nor the Maoists could have taken the birth in the soil of Nepal, nor could they have declared people´s war, and nor have they been able to joined the people´s movement II for liberating themselves from the exile to join the mainstream politics.
Presently, GP Koirala is the self-transcended statesman of Nepal who is fully committed to democracy with the open and inclusive vision above his party-politics and his familial nepotism, which has poisoned him as party president to lead NC for his family pride. His current roles in the government for the peace and democracy and successful CA elections have put him in a position of a competent democratic political leadership to be the first president of Nepal. Maoist leaderships and its cadres must honor him as the oldest political leadership in the history of Nepal who is capable of leading the democracy. What would Maoist party lose in two years of his tenure as a president of Nepal to be honored by the historic Constituent Assembly? If they could honor GP Koirala, at this point in time which will not occur again in the history of Nepal, then people of Nepal and the international community will appreciate Maoists´ rational prudence that could respect etiquettes of politics and the protocol of the current political development of Nepal.
If this proposal can be any significant to Maoist leaderships and their cadres then Maoist party should lead the new government with their vice president and prime minister positions if they wish to form the coalition government cabinet with the major political parties out of CA representatives. Although Maoist as a largest political party in CA has right to lead the government only if it can form a coalition government. Because the Constituent Assembly election mandate of people for Maoists is to form a new government with the national consensus.
The point of view that I am making has nothing personal about GP Koirala (I have never known GP Koirala in person and I have nothing to do with Nepali Congress party). But I think that a political party, which had alliance with the leadership who has successfully led the movement to this logical conclusion, must be able to observe etiquette of politics to respect such political development in the history of nation for its own successful brighter future with the people of Nepal and the international community. Because it is in democracy by virtue of fairness the honest and dedicated individuals are honored for their sincere contributions.
I strongly think that communist republic has no future for Nepal and it will reach to a dead-end the day it is established in Nepal. First of all, Maoist party is committed to the federal governance structure to sustain the pluralist political culture of multi-ethnicity, multi-linguistic and multi-cultural society of Nepal. The federal governance structure is inherently anti-totalitarian therefore the chance to establish communist totalitarian system is slim. Maoist leaderships can spell such dream on Maoist cadres but at this global economy such dream will get vaporized with the socio-political and economic developments that can only flourish with the establishment of the inclusive democracy that GP Koirala has first coined in the beginning of the people´s movement II – April Uprising of Nepal.
The future of Maoist party in Nepal lies solely on the rational human and scientific thinking than in the communist totalitarian ideology of which more than seventy percent of arguments have become obsolete except for the fundamental elements of communism. Communist socialism thinking has become more successful in the multi-party democratic practice than in the totalitarian in terms of improving people´s socio-political and economic life. After all human beings are not the robots to work in a concentration camp or factory or farm. If people are all communist comrades by virtue of its philosophy then why should they be put in the concentration camp as prisoners of conflict by the party cadres is the question that Nepali people should raise seriously.
Nepal is one of the poorest counties of the world devoid of history of the secular democratic rule of law. It is a society that is succumbed to the tradition of multi-feudal-Hindu-&-ethnic beliefs and superstitions. Yet we have no choice to let our multi-ethnic societies to be independently growing under the pluralist secular democratic culture with their best attempt to transform themselves. Our best hope thus should not be other than to establish a secular democratic culture that is governed with the human rational and scientific thinking for inclusive democracy. Therefore, a pluralist communism and a democratic socialism ought to be the objectives of the political parties for accomplishing mixed economic capitalism that can benefit the most from the phenomenon of the global economy under the multi-party democracy.
It is the happiness and the freedom of people of Nepal that Nepal has become the federal democratic republic almost over sixty years´ people´s struggle. People could have alone never been able to achieve it without political leaderships and their dedications. Political parties and organizations are non-entity without the presence of individual leadership and cadre. For any political party to be corrupt in a feudal nation like ours is inevitable because political party organizations do not have political integrity and ethics. In fact, what leads the nation and people towards greater cause is not the political party but the dedication of leaderships to a greater cause to a socio-political and economic transformation.
So far GP Koirala has dedicated himself, despite his family pride and attachments and party affiliation for power, to a greater cause until its logical conclusion – successful CA elections and declaration of the federal democratic republic of Nepal. Should people dishonor him because NC is a status quo based disintegrated political party and the Maoist chairman has already been projected by his party cadres to be the first president of republic Nepal? I personally think in that case the human rational of people of Nepal will fail again at this point in history in dishonoring GP Koirala to be the first elect president of the federal democratic republic of Nepal. I personally think as a president Mr. Koirala can play a significant role in drafting a new constitution that can establish secular democratic rule of law.
It was GP Koirala who has successfully led the political consensus particularly among the seven-party-alliance (SPA) and he has kept the consensus intact to this time of the federal democratic republic declaration despite his difficulties in political purgation for understanding the federal democratic republic setup as timely appropriate political system for Nepal. The purgation knocked down almost all the political leaderships of every political party and there are still many who are undergoing federal-republic purgation. Basically, people´s aspiration has led the political parties to this historic achievement.
However, if Maoist leaderships think that their party is the winner in the CA elections and rest of the other political parties are losers then they are mistaken if not intentionally overruling the national consensus for a coalition government that is proportional to the representations to the Constituent Assembly. Unless rhetorically arbitrary the speech of Maoist chairman was just for a political triumph to call political parties losers which have won less seats than Maoist the fact is otherwise. Because the speech did not reflect political pragmatism, that can address the contemporary political developments. Possibly Maoists of Nepal can by no means force communist republic and if they do that will be unfortunate for the nation that have been declared lately federal democratic republic.
In addition, Maoist party has not even secured just simple majority in Constituent Assembly. It has however become the largest political party to lead the CA government. But the Interim Constitution has the provision of two-third majority in order to form a new government under a new Prime Minister. Yet Maoists do not want to amend the constitution for the simple majority provision. It is astonishing to people that as previous political party in power such as NC, which used to lay double standards, Maoist party too as a largest party in CA repeating the same mistakes without a changed political strategy to respect people´s mandate and its developmental political culture and protocols.
Again the fundamental objective of Constituent Assembly is to draft nation´s new constitution that represents the principle and norms of the secular federal democratic republic and its term limit is two years with additional six months´ extension. What would Maoists gain in two years as a largest party without even simple majority against the constitutional provision of the two-third majority to bring any change in the governance? But, Maoists´ intention to grab the position of the head of the state – constitutional president who would act upon the decision of the government cabinet is very suspicious? It is because the president can impose emergency and mobilize army as a patron of the constitution and the commander in chief of the army with the recommendation of the government cabinet prior to the Constituent Assembly hearing for the two-third votes. In addition to the provision for removing president from the office with two-third votes through impeachment is politically not that easy to achieve. It is a provision to consider for the simple majority if the democratic leaderships are serious in considering making the contemporary politics pragmatic to a logical conclusion.
The status quo of the political leaderships for the power of the government cabinet is intrinsically antagonistic to the principle and norms of democracy. The democratic government cabinet that has constitutional provisions to act on its own prior to hearings or consultations of the people´s representatives in the Assembly or the Parliament for vote to make any decision for the people and the nation makes people´s representatives literally insignificant. This is what happens to the mindset of political leaderships and ruling elites with their vested interest for the power unless people´s representatives are sensible to people with their responsibility. Basically, the government cabinet and its´ president and prime minister must be under the scrutiny of the people´s representatives. Then only we can have democracy that can count on people´s voice.
Maoist leaderships are either caught up with their conjecture for making the Maoist chairman the first president of Nepal or they are conspiring for making a Nepal communist republic. If the long forecasted sentiment is the ambition then it is less dangerous than the current amendment of the constitution that has established the position of constitutional president. The choice is in either way antagonistic to the current development of the democratic protocols. Democratic political leaderships and the representatives of Constituent Assembly must not back up from scrutinizing the proposal.
In my opinion under the current amendment of the constitutional for the position of constitutional president GP Koirala is the right candidate for the president to be the head of the state with such provisions. First of all, he has all his life dedicated to the people of Nepal for democracy. Without his politics and leadership nor the Maoists could have taken the birth in the soil of Nepal, nor could they have declared people´s war, and nor have they been able to joined the people´s movement II for liberating themselves from the exile to join the mainstream politics.
Presently, GP Koirala is the self-transcended statesman of Nepal who is fully committed to democracy with the open and inclusive vision above his party-politics and his familial nepotism, which has poisoned him as party president to lead NC for his family pride. His current roles in the government for the peace and democracy and successful CA elections have put him in a position of a competent democratic political leadership to be the first president of Nepal. Maoist leaderships and its cadres must honor him as the oldest political leadership in the history of Nepal who is capable of leading the democracy. What would Maoist party lose in two years of his tenure as a president of Nepal to be honored by the historic Constituent Assembly? If they could honor GP Koirala, at this point in time which will not occur again in the history of Nepal, then people of Nepal and the international community will appreciate Maoists´ rational prudence that could respect etiquettes of politics and the protocol of the current political development of Nepal.
If this proposal can be any significant to Maoist leaderships and their cadres then Maoist party should lead the new government with their vice president and prime minister positions if they wish to form the coalition government cabinet with the major political parties out of CA representatives. Although Maoist as a largest political party in CA has right to lead the government only if it can form a coalition government. Because the Constituent Assembly election mandate of people for Maoists is to form a new government with the national consensus.
The point of view that I am making has nothing personal about GP Koirala (I have never known GP Koirala in person and I have nothing to do with Nepali Congress party). But I think that a political party, which had alliance with the leadership who has successfully led the movement to this logical conclusion, must be able to observe etiquette of politics to respect such political development in the history of nation for its own successful brighter future with the people of Nepal and the international community. Because it is in democracy by virtue of fairness the honest and dedicated individuals are honored for their sincere contributions.
I strongly think that communist republic has no future for Nepal and it will reach to a dead-end the day it is established in Nepal. First of all, Maoist party is committed to the federal governance structure to sustain the pluralist political culture of multi-ethnicity, multi-linguistic and multi-cultural society of Nepal. The federal governance structure is inherently anti-totalitarian therefore the chance to establish communist totalitarian system is slim. Maoist leaderships can spell such dream on Maoist cadres but at this global economy such dream will get vaporized with the socio-political and economic developments that can only flourish with the establishment of the inclusive democracy that GP Koirala has first coined in the beginning of the people´s movement II – April Uprising of Nepal.
The future of Maoist party in Nepal lies solely on the rational human and scientific thinking than in the communist totalitarian ideology of which more than seventy percent of arguments have become obsolete except for the fundamental elements of communism. Communist socialism thinking has become more successful in the multi-party democratic practice than in the totalitarian in terms of improving people´s socio-political and economic life. After all human beings are not the robots to work in a concentration camp or factory or farm. If people are all communist comrades by virtue of its philosophy then why should they be put in the concentration camp as prisoners of conflict by the party cadres is the question that Nepali people should raise seriously.
Nepal is one of the poorest counties of the world devoid of history of the secular democratic rule of law. It is a society that is succumbed to the tradition of multi-feudal-Hindu-&-ethnic beliefs and superstitions. Yet we have no choice to let our multi-ethnic societies to be independently growing under the pluralist secular democratic culture with their best attempt to transform themselves. Our best hope thus should not be other than to establish a secular democratic culture that is governed with the human rational and scientific thinking for inclusive democracy. Therefore, a pluralist communism and a democratic socialism ought to be the objectives of the political parties for accomplishing mixed economic capitalism that can benefit the most from the phenomenon of the global economy under the multi-party democracy.
It is the happiness and the freedom of people of Nepal that Nepal has become the federal democratic republic almost over sixty years´ people´s struggle. People could have alone never been able to achieve it without political leaderships and their dedications. Political parties and organizations are non-entity without the presence of individual leadership and cadre. For any political party to be corrupt in a feudal nation like ours is inevitable because political party organizations do not have political integrity and ethics. In fact, what leads the nation and people towards greater cause is not the political party but the dedication of leaderships to a greater cause to a socio-political and economic transformation.
So far GP Koirala has dedicated himself, despite his family pride and attachments and party affiliation for power, to a greater cause until its logical conclusion – successful CA elections and declaration of the federal democratic republic of Nepal. Should people dishonor him because NC is a status quo based disintegrated political party and the Maoist chairman has already been projected by his party cadres to be the first president of republic Nepal? I personally think in that case the human rational of people of Nepal will fail again at this point in history in dishonoring GP Koirala to be the first elect president of the federal democratic republic of Nepal. I personally think as a president Mr. Koirala can play a significant role in drafting a new constitution that can establish secular democratic rule of law.
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